Module 8: Unpacking the Self

The Spiritual Self

Introduction

The spiritual self is the most intimate, inner subjective part of the self. In William
James book, The Principles of Psychology Spiritual self is one of the four constituents of
the “self”. In his famous Sermon on the Mount, Jesus said: “Happy are those conscious
of their spiritual need.” You probably agree with that statement. People everywhere
recognize the need for spirituality in their life and assume that once found, it will bring
them happiness. It is the most intimate version of the self because of the satisfaction
experienced when thinking of one’s ability to argue and discriminate, of one’s moral
sensibility and conscience, and of our unconquerable will (James 1890) is purer than all
other sentiments of satisfaction. Moreover, seeking the meaning of life is a journey that
the spiritual self is on.

Learning Outcomes

At the end of this lesson students should be able to:

1. discuss Spirituality and its importance;
2. understand the self in relation with religious beliefs; and
3. explain ways of finding the meaning of life.

Learning Content

In Search of Spirituality

One dictionary defines spirituality as “sensitivity or attachment to religious values” and

“the quality or state of being spiritual.” Thus, such terms as “spirituality,” “being
spiritual,” or “being spiritually-minded” are viewed as synonymous. To clarify the term
further, think of this comparison: An individual who is skillful in commercial affairs is
said to be business-minded. Similarly, someone who keenly values spiritual or religious
interests is called spiritually-minded.

How, then, is true spirituality achieved? Though just about every religion claims to know
the path to spirituality, the directions given are about as numerous as the religions
themselves. A Protestant claims to be saved at a revival meeting. A Catholic seeks
communion with God at Mass. A Buddhist pursues enlightenment through meditation. A
Hindu strives for release from the cycle of rebirths through self-denial. Are all of these on
the path to true spirituality? Are any?

For many, the answer to those questions is no. They hold that spirituality means to
“believe without belonging,” that is, to believe in a god or a deity without belonging to a
church. Others feel that spirituality refers, not to a religious experience, but to a desire for
inner peace and for meaning in life. They assert that those seeking spirituality need not
look to religion at all. Rather, they need only to look inwardly, to their innermost feelings.
One writer says: “True spirituality is something that is found deep within oneself. It is
your way of loving, accepting and relating to the world and people around you. It cannot
be found in a church or by believing in a certain way.”

Clearly, people differ greatly in their ideas about spirituality. Thousands of books claim
to show the way to a spiritual life, yet all too often readers are left feeling unfulfilled and
confused.

Religion—How Did It Begin?

The history of religion is as old as the history of man himself. That is what archaeologists
and anthropologists tell us. Even among the most “primitive,” that is to say, undeveloped,
civilizations, there is found evidence of worship of some form. In fact The New
Encyclopædia Britannica says that “as far as scholars have discovered, there has never
existed any people, anywhere, at any time, who were not in some sense religious.

Besides its antiquity, religion also exists in great variety. The headhunters in the jungles
of Borneo, the Eskimos in the frozen Arctic, the nomads in the Sahara Desert, the urban
dwellers in the great metropolises of the world—every people and every nation on earth
has its god or gods and its way of worship. The diversity in religion is truly staggering.

Logically, questions come to mind. From where did all these religions come? Since there
are marked differences as well as similarities among them, did they start independently,
or could they have developed from one source? In fact we might ask: Why did religion
begin at all? And how? The answers to these questions are of vital importance to all who
are interested in finding the truth about religion and religious beliefs.

Question of Origin

When it comes to the question of origin, people of different religions think of names such
as Muḥammad, the Buddha, Confucius, and Jesus. In almost every religion, we can find
a central figure to whom credit is given for establishing the ‘true faith.’ Some of these were
iconoclastic reformers. Others were moralistic philosophers. Still others were selfless folk
heroes. Many of them have left behind writings or sayings that formed the basis of a new
religion. In time what they said and did was elaborated, embellished, and given a mystic
aura. Some of these leaders were even deified.

Even though these individuals are considered founders of the major religions that we are
familiar with, it must be noted that they did not actually originate religion. In most cases,
their teachings grew out of existing religious ideas, even though most of these founders
claimed divine inspiration as their source. Or they changed and modified existing
religious systems that had become unsatisfactory in one way or another.

For example, as accurately as history can tell us, the Buddha had been a prince who was
appalled by the suffering and deplorable conditions he found surrounding him in a society
dominated by Hinduism. Buddhism was the result of his search for a solution to life’s
agonizing problems. Similarly, Muḥammad was highly disturbed by the idolatry and
immorality he saw in the religious practices around him. He later claimed to have received
special revelations from God, which formed the Qurʼān and became the basis of a new
religious movement, Islām. Protestantism grew out of Catholicism as a result of the
Reformation that began in the early 16th century, when Martin Luther protested the sale
of indulgences by the Catholic church at that time.

Thus, as far as the religions now in existence are concerned, there is no lack of information
regarding their origin and development, their founders, their sacred writings, and so on.
But what about the religions that existed before them? And the ones even before those? If
we go back far enough in history, we will sooner or later be confronted with the question:
How did religion begin? Clearly, to find the answer to that question, we must look beyond
the confines of the individual religions.

Different yet Similar

We can get the answer in the same way that linguistic experts got their answers about the
origin of language. By placing the languages side by side and noting their similarities, an
etymologist can trace the various languages back to their source. Similarly, by placing the
religions side by side, we can examine their doctrines, legends, rituals, ceremonies,
institutions, and so on, and see if there is any underlying thread of common identity and,
if so, to what that thread leads us.

On the surface, the many religions in existence today seem quite different from one
another. However, if we strip them of the things that are mere embellishments and later
additions, or if we remove those distinctions that are the result of climate, language,
peculiar conditions of their native land, and other factors, it is amazing how similar most
of them turn out to be.

For example, most people would think that there could hardly be any two religions more
different from each other than the Roman Catholic Church of the West and Buddhism of
the East. However, what do we see when we put aside the differences that could be
attributed to language and culture? If we are objective about it, we have to admit that
there is a great deal that the two have in common. Both Catholicism and Buddhism are
steeped in rituals and ceremonies. These include the use of candles, incense, holy water,
the rosary, images of saints, chants and prayer books, even the sign of the cross. Both
religions maintain institutions of monks and nuns and are noted for celibacy of priests,
special garb, holy days, special foods. This list is by no means exhaustive, but it serves to
illustrate the point. The question is, Why do two religions that appear to be so different
have so many things in common?

As enlightening as the comparison of these two religions turns out to be, the same can be
done with other religions. When we do so, we find that certain teachings and beliefs are
almost universal among them. Most of us are familiar with such doctrines as the
immortality of the human soul, heavenly reward for all good people, eternal torment for
the wicked in an underworld, purgatory, a triune god or a godhead of many gods, and a
mother-of-god or queen-of-heaven goddess. Beyond these, however, there are many
legends and myths that are equally commonplace. For example, there are legends about
man’s fall from divine grace owing to his illicit attempt to achieve immortality, the need
to offer sacrifices to atone for sin, the search for a tree of life or fountain of youth, gods
and demigods who lived among humans and produced superhuman offspring, and a
catastrophic flood that devastated nearly all of humanity.

What can we conclude from all of this? We note that those who believed in these myths
and legends lived far from one another geographically. Their culture and traditions were
different and distinct. Their social customs bore no relationship to one another. And yet,
when it comes to their religions, they believed in such similar ideas. Although not every
one of these peoples believed in all the things mentioned, all of them believed in some of
them. The obvious question is, Why? It was as if there was a common pool from which
each religion drew its basic beliefs, some more, some less. With the passage of time, these
basic ideas were embellished and modified, and other teachings developed from them.
But the basic outline is unmistakable.

Logically, the similarity in the basic concepts of the many religions of the world is strong
evidence that they did not begin each in its own separate and independent way. Rather,
going back far enough, their ideas must have come from a common origin. What was that
origin?

RELIGION

Rebecca Stein (Stein 2011) works on the definition of religion “as a set of cultural
beliefs and practices that usually includes some or all of basic characteristics. These
characteristics are:

1. A belief in anthropomorphic supernatural being, such as spirit & gods

2. A focus on the sacred supernatural, where sacred refers to a feeling of reverence
and awe
3. the presence of supernatural power or energy that is found on supernatural beings
as well as physical beings and objects
4. The performance of ritual activities that involves the manipulation of sacred object
to communicate to supernatural beings and/or to influence or control events
5. the articulation of worldview and moral codes through narratives and other means
6. Provide the creation and maintenance of social bonds and mechanism of social
control within a community; provide explanation for unknown and a sense of
control for individuals

RITUAL

Ritual is the performance of ceremonial acts prescribed by a tradition or sacred law

(Britanica 2017). It is a specific, observable mode of behavior exhibited by all known
societies. it is thus possible to view ritual as a way or describing humans
Some World Religious Beliefs & Practices
There are different religions with different beliefs & practices. Some of the major
world religions are Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Islam and Judaism.
BUDDHISM

Image o f Buddha By: Jesus -Zambrano

(https://creativecommonsorg/licenses/by sa-4.0) via wikimedia CommonsI

Buddhist Monks (Image via wikimedia commons)

Beliefs
Buddhism believes that life is not a bed of roses. Instead, there are suffering, pain,
frustrations. When people suffer, they want to experience the goodness of life and avoid
disappointments. It becomes a habit known as the reactive cycle of wanting and hating,
like and dislike, and craving and aversion. This reactive cycle can be broken through the
practice of mediation, acquiring more wisdom and deeper understanding, and acceptance
of things as they are.
Customs and Practices
 There are two types of meditation practices: samatha and vipassana. Samatha is
practiced as mindfulness of breathing and development of loving- kindness (Metta
Bhavana). Vipassana practices aim at developing insight into reality. Acquiring wisdom
is by studying Buddha’s teaching. The Dharma. Through the reflection of the Dharma.
Buddhists can achieve a deeper understanding of life. Buddhists believe in non-violence
principle.
Some of the major Buddhist celebrations are Parinirvana Day in February; Buddha Day
(Wesak) in May; Dharma Day in July; Padmasambhava Day in October; and Sangha Day
in November.

(photo via: wikimedia commons)

Parinirvana Day

(https:// flickr.com/photos/udeyismall/4642613)
Wesak Day
CHRISTIANITY
Beliefs
Christians believe in Trinitarian God. One God in three personas: God the Father
(Creator), God the Son (Savior), and God the Holy Spirit (Sustainer). Eternal life after
death will be achieved through faith in Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ is, God the Son, who
came into flesh, to spread the Good News of Salvation. He died on the Cross for the sin
of the humanity but resurrected from the death, so that anyone who believes in Him will
be saved and have eternal life. The Holy Bible is a selection of books, which is divided into
two, the Old Testament and New Testament.
Holy baptism
Customs and Practices
Sacrament of Baptism and Sacrament of Communion are practiced by Christian
churches. The sacrament of Baptism symbolizes the birth in Christian world, while the
sacrament of communion is an act of remembrance of Jesus Christ’s sacrificial love. Jesus
Christ teaching in unconditional love that is expressed in loving the poor, oppressed, and
outcast of the society.
Christmas and Resurrection (Easter) are the two major celebrations in
Christianity. Christmas, usually on December 25, commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ
while Resurrection Sunday (depends on the lunar calendar, sometime in March or April)
celebrates the resurrection of Jesus Christ from death.

HINDUISM
Beliefs
Hinduism covers a wide range of traditional beliefs and religious groups; thus
there is no single founder or leader. Hindus believe that existence is a cycle of birth, death
and rebirth , governed by Karma. Karma is a concept where the reincarnated life will
depend on how the past life was spent. Hindus believe that the soul passes through a cycle
of successive lives and its next incarnation is always dependent on how the previous life
was lived. Vedas are sacred scriptures of Hindus. Mahabharata and Ramayana are two
other important texts of the Hindus.

Customs and Practices

Diwali and Navrati are the most celebrated festivals of the Hindus. Diwali is the
Festival of Lights while Navrati is the festival of nine nights, which celebrate the triumph
of good over evil. Hindus have set dates to honor particular manifestations of Gods

(By: wikimedia Commons)

 Diwali Celebration

ISLAM
Beliefs
Muslims believe in Allah, who is their “One God.” They believe in the unity and
universality of God. Muslims also have a strong sense community or “ummah” and an
awareness of their solidarity with all Muslims worldwide. Islam means “willing
submission to God.”
Muslims believe that Mohammed is the last and final prophet sent by God.
Mohammed was born in Mecca in 570 CE and received revelations from God through the
Angel Gabriel over a period of 23 years. The Holy Book of Islam is called the Quran, which
was taught to be recited in Arabic because any translation is seen as inadequate.
Mosque
Customs and Practices
Muslims believe in the five pillars of Islam, which are the foundation of Muslims life:
1. Shahadah- statement of faith: “There is no God but the one true God and
Mohammed is his messenger.”
2. Salat- the prayer that is practiced five times a day.
3. Zakat- the monetary offering for the benefit of the poor. It compromises the 2.5%
of a Muslim’s assets.
4. Hajj- the yearly pilgrimage to Mecca. Muslims who can afford are asked to do the
pilgrimage at least once in their lifetime.
5. Sawm- the fasting. Muslims do fasting, from food, drink and sexual act, during
the celebration of Ramadan. Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic lunar
calendar. The fast is from dawn to sunset.

Two of the major festivals in Islam are Eidul-Fitr and Eidul-Adha. Eidul – Fitr is
the celebration at the end of Ramadan, while Eidul-Adha is celebrated within the
completion of the Pilgrimage, the Hajj.
 (https://pixabay.com/en/mecca-saudi-arabia-kaaba-holy-656774)
Hajj, the Pilgrimage to Mecca

JUDDAISM
Beliefs
The Jews believe in the God of Abraham, the same God that liberated the Hebrew slaves
from Egypt to Canaan, the Promised Land through the leadership of Moses and later,
Joshua.
The Jews believe in the coming of Messiah the Savior. The sacred scripture of the Jews
is called the Torah of the Law. The Torah is the guide of the Jewish living. The study and
interpretation of Torah is part of the Jewish culture.
Customs and Practices
There are five major festivals observed by the Jews:
1. Rosh Hashanah- the New Year
2. Yom Kippur- the Day of Atonement
3. Pesach- Passover
4. Shavuot- Pentecost
5. Sukkot- Tabernacles. The Jewish Sabbath begins on Friday evening at sunset and
is an important time when families gather to the Shabbat meal.
 https//www.flicker.com/folderphotos1858436

Shabbat meal Rosh Hashanah Pesach

Religious beliefs, rituals, practices, and customs are all part of the
expression of the spiritual self. What to believe and how to manifest the belief is
entirely dependent on the individual, to the self. A person might believe that there
is a higher being, a supernatural being, usually termed as God, but not necessarily
wants to be affiliated or identified with a certain religious group. Others may have
religious beliefs and practices which are perceived to be contrary to the practices
of other groups. Religious beliefs and practices, therefore, are formed relative to
its context and culture.

The Need for Meaning

Who needs it? Not the earthworm or the eagle, the chipmunk or the whale. It is man alone
of all earth’s creatures that raises the question, Does life have any meaning? Every
generation has pondered it. If the need for meaning were not inherent in man, the
question would not have haunted him through the centuries.
If life is so fleeting and followed by a future of oblivion, how could it have meaning? But
the need for meaning and permanence is so great that doctrines of immortal souls and
reincarnations are seized upon. Many feel the need to make this present life memorable
by leaving something of themselves behind—a book, a painting, a musical composition,
an endowment, a foundation, anything to give some kind of tangible evidence of their
having been here. It seems to help them to feel that there was some meaning to their
existence. Even those who made a name for themselves fade from memory as they are
eclipsed by prominent ones now living.
In spite of man’s tininess in universal space, however, and his fleeting appearance in the
stream of time, he still needs to feel his life is meaningful. This springs from the way he
was created. It is an inborn need. Viktor Frankl, the psychiatrist who originated the
psychiatric school of logotherapy, which he defines as meaning-therapy, says: “The
striving to find a meaning in one’s life is the primary motivational force in man.”
How can the need for meaning in our life be met?
Making Lives Meaningful

BY SETTING GOALS
“Hitch your wagon to a star,” advises the old saying. Goals of high purpose give
meaningful direction to our life, keep us from drifting, floundering or stagnating. Human
creatures are goal-oriented. Setting goals aids progress and strengthens purpose.
Psychiatrist Viktor Frankl, in “Man’s Search for Meaning,” writes of the importance of
goals even in Nazi concentration camps: “Any attempt to restore a man’s inner strength
in the camp had first to succeed in showing him some future goal.”
He tells of two men in camp who had decided to commit suicide—what did they have to
live for? But when one realized his adored child was waiting for him, and the other had a
series of scientific books to finish, both chose to live. “There is nothing in the world, I
venture to say,” Frankl wrote, “that would so effectively help one to survive even the worst
conditions, as the knowledge that there is a meaning in one’s life.”
If this is true in “the worst conditions,” how much more so would setting goals and
striving to reach them help people in their day-to-day living!
BY DOING WORK
Goals in themselves, however, mean little. Only when they are accompanied by deeds do
they have real meaning. A farmer may have as a goal the harvesting of a certain crop, but
to attain that goal he must sow seed and do all the additional work needed to produce and
bring in the crop.
Even children benefit from work. Professor Alice Rossi, a sociologist at the University of
Massachusetts, urged parents to give children work in the home: “To feel needed and
useful is as important as to feel loved. Yet our child-rearing ideas have stressed only love
and the child’s need to play, neglecting the work children can do.”
BY MINDING SPIRITUAL THINGS
Purpose and meaning are based in the things of the spirit, not the flesh. Frankl wrote of
the ability to resist the tortures of the concentration camps because of spiritual strength:
“The consciousness of one’s inner value is anchored in higher, more spiritual things, and
cannot be shaken by camp life.” Why do successful executives, materially well off, change
careers in mid-life? Psychologist Levinson said that they begin to ask: “Is this all there is?
Was it worth all I had to give up along the way? Do I want to go on like this for the rest of
my life?”
It is the awareness of a person’s spiritual need and the fulfilling of that that brings
happiness and meaning to his life.
BY A RIGHT ATTITUDE
Do you work toward a goal with confidence and vigor, not doubting or drifting willy-nilly?
Think negative and get negative results; think positive to get positive results. Doubts are
traitors that make us lose what we might win if we didn’t fear to try. Think on that which
is good.
BY SERVING OTHERS
We feel useful when we help others. It shows we have something to offer. Useful lives
become meaningful lives, viewed so by others as well as by ourselves. Serving mankind
can in itself become a goal and impart meaning to a person’s life.
Serving God does much more toward enabling us to view our life as meaningful, even
though we are small in a vast universe and exist only in a tiny fraction of the stream of
time.

BY SUFFERING FOR RIGHTEOUSNESS’ SAKE

“Suffering ceases to be suffering in some way at the moment it finds a meaning, such as
the meaning of a sacrifice,” writes Frankl. “Man is even ready to suffer, on the condition,
to be sure, that his suffering has a meaning.” What greater meaning could it have than
being for righteousness’ sake?
LOGOTHERAPY ASSUMPTIONS
Logotheraphy is a psychotherapy introduced by Dr. Vitor Frankl, who is considered the
Father of Logotherapy. The main belief of logotheraphy is that “man’s primary
motivational force is search for meaning, it uses the philosophy of optimism in the face of
tragedy, where people are capable of “turning suffering into human achievement and
accomplishment; deriving from guilt the opportunity to change oneself for the better; and
deriving from life’s transitoriness an incentive to take responsible action.
● The human being is an entity consisting of body, mind, and spirit.
● Life has meaning under all circumstances, even the most miserable
● People have a will to meaning
● People have freedom under all circumstances to activate the will to find meaning
● Life has a demand quality to which people must respond if decisions are to be
meaningful
● The individual is unique

References
Goldsmiths, University of London.n.d. “Religion and Belief guide”.October
16,2017.https://www.gold.ac.uk/media/documents-by-section/life-on-campus/student-
support-services/Religion-and-Belief-Guide.pdf

Penner, Hans.1998. “Ritual.” In Encyclopedia Britannica.

October17,2017.https://www.britannica.com/topic/ritual.
Popova, Maria.2013. “Viktor Frankl On the Human Search for Meaning.” In
Brainpickings.October 20,2017.https://www.brainpickings.org/2013/03/26/viktor-
frankl-mans-search-for-meaning/.
Victor Frankl Institute of Logotherapy.n.d. “About Victor Fraankl.”October 20,2017.
http://www.viktorfranklInstitute.org/Home.html.
Victor Frankl Institute of Logotherapy.n.d. “Logotherapy.” October 20,2017.
http://www.logotherapyinstitute.org/About_Logotherapy.html